


Liminal

by CatWingsAthena



Series: Liminal (Wunderkind Next Generation Prequel) [1]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016), Wunderkind (MacGyver TV 2016 Fanfiction)
Genre: Adoption, Amber is a terrible parent, And a little bit on screen, Angst, But I'm not putting it in that series because Cassian is still a kid in this one, But she's a major character in Cassian's life and we're in his head so be warned, Gen, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, It's more a prequel to that, Literal Amber alert, Mac and Amber have a chat and Stuff comes up, Minor Character Death, Missing Scene, More like missing storyline?, Not of Cassian don't worry, POV Cassian, POV Child, Post-Season/Series 03, Running Away, Wunderkind Next Generation-adjacent, it's mostly going over Cassian's head, of Wunderkind, wunderkind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29378544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatWingsAthena/pseuds/CatWingsAthena
Summary: "Cassian is frankly amazed that the Wallaces aren’t dead by now.Matty told Cassian that Dad is locked up tight, somewhere where he can never get to Cassian ever again, and he believes her. But Mom is still out there, and she’ll find him. Mom always finds him.When Mom finds Cassian, she’ll kill anyone in the way of her getting him back. And the more Cassian gets to know the Wallaces, the less he wants that to happen.If Cassian wants to keep them all alive, there’s only one thing left to do."Or, the one where Cassian decides the only way to protect his new family from his old one is by running away and calling his birth mom to pick him up, so when she inevitably finds him no one else will get hurt.But he has one trick up his sleeve. One chance to stay with his new family without getting them killed.Phoenix.
Relationships: Cassian & Amber (MacGyver TV 2016), Cassian & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Liminal (Wunderkind Next Generation Prequel) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2158092
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10





	Liminal

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! As I said in the tags, this can be thought of as either a prequel to the Wunderkind Next Generation series, or a missing storyline from Wunderkind. This fic contains brief depictions of and references to the effects of child abuse, some brief panic, a car crash, gun violence, references to past rape (of people who are not Cassian), and implied suicide by (essentially) cop. Hope you enjoy!

Cassian is frankly amazed that the Wallaces aren’t dead by now.

It’s only a matter of time.

Matty told Cassian that Dad is locked up tight, somewhere where he can never get to Cassian ever again, and he believes her. But Mom is still out there, and she’ll find him. Mom always finds him.

And a week ago was school picture day.

They took his picture. It went into a computer, he saw.

_ She didn’t find me last time I was at school. _

_ She would have, eventually. You were only there a couple years. Besides, no one put your picture in a computer there. _

_ Matty said she hid me really well. That no one who knew my birth parents will ever find me. _

_ You know Mom will. That picture’s all she needs. _

When Mom finds Cassian, she’ll kill anyone in the way of her getting him back. And the more Cassian gets to know the Wallaces, the less he wants that to happen.

Susan and Joe are better parents than Mom or Dad ever were. And Nathan and Diamond and Eliana are annoying sometimes, but they’re his friends now.

He wishes they could be his siblings, but that’s never going to happen.

Because if Cassian wants to keep them all alive, there’s only one thing left to do.

It’s not even four A.M. when Cassian sneaks down the stairs.

He’s been doing research on trips to the library, when Susan and Joe weren’t looking. How to work a payphone. Directions to the nearest long-distance bus station. (He doesn’t have his own phone or laptop yet. Susan and Joe said they’d get him his own when he turned ten. His chest hurts a little thinking about it.)

He’s been saving up quarters for a week—from the ground, trading for favored lunch items or stories with kids at school (Cassian tells good stories. He likes the way everyone gets so absorbed, how it seems to make them happy. Make them like him. Once he told the other kids he was collecting state quarters, they were perfectly willing to pay up, and so far the teachers don’t know), from Susan and Joe (who also think he’s collecting state quarters, and have started asking him if he has the states they get in change).

He definitely has enough to call Mom, if she’s in the United States, which he’s pretty sure she is.

He has enough for one more phone call. Not long, but hopefully long enough.

He has one chance to come back here. Once chance not to have to go on the run with Mom again, not to be stuck with her for who-knows-how-long, until one or both of them dies.

One chance for the Wallaces to survive,  _ and _ be his family.

Cassian tiptoes down the stairs, dressed in warm clothes and a puffy coat, with a backpack containing a full water bottle, various after-school snacks, a change of clothes, and all his money (including the precious quarters) slung over his shoulder. He laces up his shoes, slowly unlocks and opens the door, making sure to lock it behind him, and steps out into the night.

...

It’s still dark out when Cassian gets to the bus station.

His feet hurt from walking, and he’s tired, but he doesn’t sit down. He doesn’t know if anyone here will have his description yet. He knows Susan and Joe will be looking.

So he goes to the bus dock, looks for a bus that’s loading luggage, climbs into the luggage compartment when the attendants aren’t looking, and hides behind a suitcase.

When the door slams closed, Cassian belatedly wonders if these things are airtight, if he’ll suffocate before he gets wherever this bus is going.

Oh well. Too late to worry about that now.

...

Cassian sleepily blinks awake to light.

The attendants are unloading the cargo hold of the bus.

_ How are you going to get out of here without them seeing you? _

_...I didn’t think about that part. _

_ Well, think fast! _

On a careful listen, complicated by the sound of rain on the roof of the bus, it sounds like there are only two attendants, and they’re both on one end.

Cassian sneaks down to the other end of the hold and slips away...

Or tries to, anyway.

He knocks over a suitcase as he’s climbing out.

“What the...”

Cassian’s up and running before the attendants can see his face.

...

The rain is soaking Cassian’s hair and starting to seep into his jacket.

He’s cold, wet, and miserable. He just wants to go home.

But he can’t.

He finds a payphone eventually, on the platform of a nearby train station. There are a few people around, but mostly they’re not looking at him.

Cassian puts the quarters in and dials the number with shaky fingers.

When he hears Mom’s voice on the other end, he feels more nauseous than relieved, even though he knows it’s a good thing. “Who are you and how did you get this number?”

“Mom, it’s me.”

A brief silence. “Critter? Where are you?”

“I’m at the Springfield Peter Pan bus station.”

“Okay. I’m on my way.” Mom hangs up.

Cassian takes a deep breath, puts four more quarters into the slot, and dials the number Matty gave him to call if he needs her.

“Cassian?” she says. She sounds almost frightened. “You’re on speaker, I’m here with my friends. Where are you?”

“The Amtrak station by the Peter Pan bus terminal in Springfield. I... I did something you’re not gonna like.”

“We know you ran away,” says Matty. “Is there something else?”

“I... after I ran, I called Mom and I told her where I am.” Cassian can’t help the sob that tears out of his throat. 

“You told her where you are right now?” asks Matty.

“Yes, I’m sorry, she would’ve found me, she would’ve killed them...” Cassian’s shaking. He can barely breathe.

“Hey.”

Mac’s voice cuts through Cassian’s haze of panicked misery. “Cassian, it’s gonna be okay. Now, I need you to listen. Look around. Is there anywhere you can hide?”

Cassian looks. “Yeah. There’s an empty newsstand.”

Mac starts talking so fast Cassian can barely keep up. “Once you get off the phone, go there and wait for us. If she gets there first, stay hidden. Do not let her get you if you can help it. But if she does, keep your eyes open, and if you think it’s safe at any point to let us know where you are, you do that, okay? But only if you think it’s safe.”

“Mac.” Cassian swallows. “Is she gonna kill me?” Cassian’s never thought Mom would kill him before. But then... he’s never done anything this bad. If she finds out...

“No. She’s not gonna kill you. I just wanna make sure she doesn’t get mad at you, okay?”

“Okay.”

“We’re on our way. You just gotta hang in there, okay?”

“O-okay.”

The line goes dead.

Cassian ducks into the newsstand, hoping no one sees.

He curls up in the base and settles in to wait.

...

Cassian’s been curled up in the base of the newsstand for hours.

His legs hurt, his neck hurts, he has to go to the bathroom, he’s still cold, and he’s scared.

But when Mom’s voice says “there you are, Critter. Watcha doin’ in there?” he fervently wishes he could go back five minutes.

_ I did it wrong, I did it wrong and she found me and now she’s gonna take me away and I’m never gonna see Susan or Joe or Nathan or Diamond or Eliana ever again... _

“C’mon.” Mom grabs his arm and pulls him upright. “It’s time to go home.”

Once they’re in the car, Mom turns back to him. “What  _ were _ you doing in there, anyway?”

“I got cold,” says Cassian. “It was warmer.”

Mom nods approvingly. “Smart.”

As they drive away, Cassian wants to cry.

But he can’t. He can’t let Mom know what he did.

If she finds out...

Cassian shudders and scrunches lower in his seat.

_ It’s okay. Now she doesn’t have any reason to go after the Wallaces. _

As for him...

_ I tried. _

...

They’ve been in the car for about half an hour when Cassian can’t take it anymore.

“Mom,” he says, “I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Don’t you have a water bottle or something? Go in that.”

Cassian’s about to dig his now-mostly-empty water bottle out of his bag when he gets an idea. 

“No, I have to poop.” He doesn’t—he made sure to do that before he left home—but it’s what will get him out of this car long enough to send an SOS.

Mom sighs. “Okay. Just let us get a little further away from here, and then we’ll stop.”

...

They stop at a convenience store in the middle of nowhere.

Mom puts a baseball cap on Cassian, pulling it low over his eyes, and puts some big sunglasses on herself. 

They go in.

Cassian heads into the men’s bathroom while Mom waits outside.

There’s no one in here.  _ Dangit. _

Cassian uses the bathroom, then stands by the sink.

Eventually, a man walks in and heads over to the urinals.

Cassian glances over.

The man has a phone in his back pocket.

Cassian keeps washing his hands until the man with the phone walks over, then bumps into him by reaching for the paper towels.

“Sorry,” he says, slipping the phone into his pocket, silently grateful for the fact that he wore his puffy coat today.

Mom taught him how to do that.

Hopefully now it’ll get him away from her for good.

...

When Cassian gets back into the car, he’s grateful he’d already taken the seat directly behind Mom. It means she can’t see what he’s doing as easily.

Blocking her mirror view by leaning in close to the seat, Cassian tilts the phone until he can see the grease on the screen.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all greasy.

He tries 123456.

Nothing.

654321.

Still nothing.

_Maybe it’s a shape rather than a number sequence..._ _123654?_

Nope.

456321?

The phone unlocks.

_ Score! _

Cassian Googles “how to make a phone not make noise.” He goes to Settings and makes sure “vibrate on silent” is off, then switches the phone to silent mode. 

He opens the messaging app and sends a text to Matty. <Track this phone.>

Then, he puts it back in his pocket and waits.

...

He’s been in the car for an hour, and Cassian is starting to give up hope.

His plan didn’t work. The text didn’t go through, or Matty couldn’t track the phone for some reason, or they had to go do something else important, or...

“You gonna hurl?” asks Mom from the front seat, and Cassian realizes he’s breathing much too fast.

“No,” he replies quickly.

He’s not gonna throw up... he just feels like it.

If he’s sure Matty and Mac aren’t coming, he needs to assume he’s going to be with Mom from now on. Dad’s locked up, so he’s not even getting away that way.

So he needs to make sure Mom doesn’t get too mad at him.

That starts with finding a way to get rid of the phone.

He can’t just toss it out the window, Mom will notice that and wonder what he got rid of. Maybe he can leave it when they switch cars...

“Shit.” Mom looks up into the rearview mirror. “We’ve got a tail. How do you shake a tail, Critter?”

Cassian is about to answer when the car is suddenly surrounded.

Mom tries to drive right through the car in front of her, but it’s tougher than she thought. Cassian jolts forward in his seat, head whipping back and forth painfully. There’s a loud  _ pop, _ and the air is filled with something powdery and plasticky-smelling as the airbags come out.

The car is surrounded by people with guns now...

And there’s Mac.

He’s standing next to Jack, who has a gun. Mac doesn’t.

Mom climbs over the seat to get in back with Cassian, grabs him, unbuckles his seatbelt, opens the door, and climbs out, holding him tight against her.

She has her arm across his collarbone, and she’s squeezing his shoulder with the hand that isn’t holding a gun. It hurts.

“Mom,” he whispers, “you’re hurting me.”

But she doesn’t stop.

“Let the kid go!” someone shouts.

Mom makes a soft noise at that that sounds almost like a laugh.

Mac is whispering something into Jack’s ear.

Jack grits his teeth, but nods.

Mac steps forward, in front of the people with the guns, until he’s facing Mom, only about six feet away.

“Well,” says Mom with a sharp edge in her voice, “you’re looking better than the last time I saw you.”

“Amber,” says Mac. “I want to talk.”

“Bullshit,” says Mom. “You want to take my kid away and see me locked up.” Her grip on Cassian’s shoulder tightens, and he squirms. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t shoot you right now.”

Cassian’s heart clenches. “No, Mom, don’t, he’s my friend!”

Mac looks down at Cassian, and he looks  _ sad _ for a moment before looking back up at Mom. “Cassian,” he says. “You shoot me, you  _ know _ everyone here shoots back, and he could get hit in the crossfire. They’d try to avoid it, but...” Mac shrugs. “It happens.”

“Seems like  _ you _ don’t want that,” says Mom.

Cassian blinks hard.  _ It’s just lying. Mom doesn’t want you dead. She just can’t let them know she wants to keep you around because that would weaken her negotiating position... right? _

Mac keeps his eyes focused on Mom. “We want at least one thing in common right now. We both want Cassian to walk away from this.”

Mom makes that soft laugh-sound again. “You really think that’s gonna work on me?”

“Not really,” says Mac. “But look around, Amber. There’s no way out. You know how this ends. What do you have to lose by listening to me, just for a few minutes?”

“There’s always a way out.” Mom pulls Cassian even closer, tightening her arm across his chest defensively.

Mac gives her a strange look. “You think  _ Cassian _ is your way out? That we won’t shoot you as long as you’ve got him with you? You’re kidding yourself.” He tilts his head. “But then, he was your way out before, wasn’t he?”

“What are you talking about?” asks Mom, but Cassian knows from her tone that she knows exactly what Mac is talking about.

Even if  _ he _ doesn’t.

“I know what it’s like, Amber.”

Mom sputters. “What the  _ fuck  _ do you know?”

“More than you think.” Mac’s face is uncomfortable, but his voice is steady. “I know what it’s like to assess a threat and make a decision. Always looking over your shoulder, knowing you’re safer this way than the alternative but still never able to let your guard down for one second. Making one concession, and then another, and another, until you can’t remember where you started and you’re not sure you want to.”

“I don’t know what he told you...” Mom hisses.

“The truth, I think, for once.”

“At least I didn’t end up like you,” Mom spits.

“You’re right, you didn’t,” says Mac. “But I happen to know how you  _ did _ end up isn’t much better. But Cassian was your ticket out of all that, wasn’t he?”

Cassian wants to ask what he’s talking about, but he senses that would be a bad idea right now, so he keeps quiet.

“Once you saw that Murdoc actually wanted Cassian to grow up  _ normal, _ and that hurting his mom didn’t fit the picture, you knew you were free.” Mac looks at Cassian with something like an apology in his eyes. “And you took off. Can’t say I blame you—well, for that, anyway.”

_ Is Murdoc Dad’s name? And why would he hurt Mom?  _ Cassian knows Dad hurt Mac. He doesn’t know why, or what else he did, but he knows he did a lot of awful things. He knows Mom does awful things too, that what she said about killing people who deserve it isn’t right and that she shouldn’t do it. And he knows Dad disagrees with Mom a lot of the time, and doesn’t want Cassian living with her.

Still. It’s hard to imagine Dad hurting Mom.

“If you don’t blame me, let me  _ go.” _ Mom is moving sideways, trying to get out of the line of fire, but the people with the guns are boxing her in.

“Not gonna happen,” says Mac calmly. “We’re not letting you get away with Cassian. I know you think you’re the only one who can protect him, but my team are the best. They found a good family for him, and they can keep him safe.”

Mom laughs. “You expect me to believe that coming from  _ you?” _

“I met Murdoc because I was working,” says Mac with a slight wince. “It’s my job to stop people like him. Which I did. And am now doing. Our last meeting...” Mac’s mouth tightens. “Call it an occupational hazard.”

“I’m not like him,” says Mom, sounding furious.

“I know,” says Mac. “You’re worse, right? Better at keeping hidden, that’s for sure. Scarier, to anyone who knows what you know.” Mac takes a breath, so subtle Cassian doesn’t know if anyone but him and probably Mom saw it. “Murdoc said you were raising Cassian to destroy the world that broke you. I don’t think that’s right. You’ve survived by becoming the worst thing out there, and you tell yourself that, if you’re the scariest monster in the dark, the other monsters can’t hurt you.” Mac gestures at Cassian. “Tell me, Amber. How’s that working out for you?”

“Shut up.” Mom’s grip on Cassian’s shoulder is so tight by now that there are tears in his eyes. He doesn’t know what anyone’s talking about, he’s confused and scared and there are so many people with so many guns and he just wants to go home. But when Mac says that, he looks up. Because Mom’s said that before. She always says he can beat the monsters by being scarier than them.

“You want me to shut up, let him go.”

Mom laughs again. “That’s just low.”

“What gave you the impression I don’t fight dirty?”

“You spent some time inside, didn’t you?” asks Mom. “Government agent? What did you do?”

Cassian frowns.  _ Inside where? Mom asked what he did... was Mac in jail? _

Cassian can’t imagine what Mac would’ve done to get in that much trouble. He’s always been so kind. But maybe the person who got him in trouble was having a bad day or something.

Mac winces, but ignores her. “You want Cassian to grow up stronger than you, so he can’t be hurt the way you were. But trust me, that’ll never work. And even if it did, you can’t control how your kids turn out. Cassian’s a good kid. You’re not gonna crush that out of him no matter how hard you try.”

Cassian looks up again.  _ You mean it? _

“Oh, please,” says Mom, and Cassian can practically hear her rolling her eyes. “He’s  _ mine. _ I say—”

“No you don’t,” says Mac. “If you did, I wouldn’t be here. My birth dad? He was like you. He wanted me to be like him. I wasn’t much older than Cassian when he finally gave up. Point is, you’re not gonna make Cassian into what you want him to be. His best chance at a better life than you had is getting out of your life entirely.”

Mom sighs. “You want me to give up my best shot at getting out of here?”

Again, Mac looks so  _ sad _ for a moment before he keeps talking. “There’s something you should know before you decide to leave.”

Mom snorts. “What’s that?”

“It doesn’t stop.”

“Excuse me?”

“You think it’s over. That now that you have Cassian, you’re free of him. Of all of them. That you can leave it all behind. Well, you’re wrong. It never stops. Every time you think you’re out of the woods, you’ll get sent right back in and it’ll be ages before you find your way out again. You’ll never be able to breathe. Not really.”

“He’s locked up—”

“You know he’s not the only one.” Mac’s teeth clench. “I know you’re tired, Amber. Tired of living like this. It’s over now. It’s okay, you can stop.”

Mom swallows. “You want me to let him go so your people can kill me.”

_ No, no. _ Cassian didn’t mean for Mom to die, he meant for them to take her to jail so she wouldn’t hurt the Wallaces, he didn’t want...

“If you’d let us take you in, that’d be great, but I don’t think you will.”

“You’re not as stupid as I thought.”

Mac shrugs.

Mom takes a deep breath.

Then, she gives Cassian a shove and lets go of his shoulder. “Go on, Critter.”

_ If I don’t go, she gets away with me. _

Cassian swallows, then stumble-runs away toward Mac, who catches him up in his arms and quickly carries him away.

“Cover your ears,” Mac whispers, but Cassian’s holding on too tightly and he can’t make himself let go, so Mac presses one of Cassian’s ears into his shoulder and covers the other with one of his hands as he runs.

Then, the loudest sound Cassian has ever heard.

It’s gunshots, definitely, but Cassian’s never heard this many this fast. Or this loud.

Finally, the sound stops.

_ Mom... Mom is... _

Cassian feels the lump in his throat and tries to swallow it down, but before he knows it his eyes are full of tears, and they’re sliding down his face, and he sniffs back snot so he doesn’t get it on Mac’s shirt and wipes his face with one sleeve. “S-sorry,” he sobs.

“Oh, kiddo,” says Mac gently. “It’s okay.”

“I didn’t mean to—”

“I know you didn’t.”

Cassian’s crying harder now. That’s wrong. “I-I’m sorry, I’ll stop...”

“Stop crying?”

Cassian nods.

“You don’t have to,” says Mac.

“But you’re not supposed to cry unless you’re hurt,” Cassian sniffles.

“Well, your heart’s hurt,” says Mac.

Cassian frowns. He didn’t think about that.

“Besides,” says Mac. “When you’re in a situation that’s bad or scary, your body makes chemicals that help get you ready for an emergency. And those can be a good thing, but when the emergency’s over they just make you feel bad. And when you cry because you’re upset, some of those chemicals leave your body in the tears. So crying’s actually good for you.”

“Really?” Cassian looks at Mac, blinking through the tears that are still falling. “Then why does everyone tell me to stop?”

Mac is silent for a moment, then says, “because some people don’t know that.”

“Oh.” Cassian isn’t sure about the next question, but he needs to know. “Did you mean it when you said I’m a good kid?”

“Absolutely.” There’s no hesitation on that one. “You’re an amazing kid, and you’re going to be an amazing grown-up.”

Something occurs to Cassian, and he smiles a little. “I get to go back,” he says. “I... I get to go home.”

Before today, “home” always just meant “wherever Cassian happened to be staying.” But now, it means something different. Something new.

He gets to stay with the Wallaces. He gets three siblings. He gets adoption day parties and a computer when he turns ten and school and friends and  _ what’s wrong with him, _ he just  _ killed his mom, _ he shouldn’t be  _ happy... _

Cassian cries harder.

“Whatcha feeling?” asks Mac quietly.

“Too much,” says Cassian as soon as he can draw breath again.

“Yeah,” says Mac. “I bet.”

...

Cassian’s sitting in the car that’s going to take him home (Mac carefully steered him so he didn’t see Mom’s body, and he’s kind of sadly grateful for that. It’s not like he’s never seen a dead person before, he knows what they look like, but... this is Mom), and Mac is saying goodbye.

“Can’t  _ you _ drive me home?” asks Cassian quietly. He knows he shouldn’t, but he doesn’t really want to be in a car with only strangers right now.

Cassian knows maybe he should be mad at Mac. Mac just basically got his mom killed, after all. But... he just isn’t. He knows Mac did it because it was the only way he could protect him.

Just like what Cassian did was the only way to protect the Wallaces.

“Sorry,” says Mac. “I don’t know where you live, and I can’t, so don’t ever tell me, okay?”

“Why not?”

“It’s the rules of where I work, so we can keep you safe,” says Mac. “It’s Matty’s rule, and she’s my boss and I respect her, so I do what she says.”

“Okay,” says Cassian. He doesn’t want Mac to disobey Matty because of him. He likes Matty, and besides, he doesn’t want Mac to get in trouble again. Even if he’s pretty sure Matty wouldn’t send him to jail.

“And hey.” Mac pulls out a small notebook and a pen, writes something down on a page, and tears it out. “If you or your family want to call me, here’s my number. If I don’t answer, it’s not because I don’t want to, okay? It’s because I’m working.”

Cassian frowns. He’s thinking about something Mac said earlier. “Do you get hurt a lot, when you work?”

Mac takes a breath, then nods slightly. “Sometimes. But it’s worth it.” He looks up. “I have to go.”

“Bye Mac.”

“Bye Cassian.”

The door closes, and the car drives away.

...

When the car finally pulls up outside Cassian’s house, Susan is waiting outside.

Cassian feels a lump building up in his throat again.

He’s  _ home. _

He gets to  _ stay _ here.

Part of his life is over. But something else, something that began back in April when he was placed with the Wallaces, is finally able to start for real.

Cassian takes a deep breath, then gets out of the car and runs to the porch, feeling warm arms scoop him up in a hug.

What he’s about to do feels wrong, after what just happened. But it also feels right, and if he doesn’t do this now he might never get up the courage.

“Hi Mom,” he whispers. “Can we go inside?”

He looks up at... up at Mom, and she’s crying too, and for a moment Cassian’s afraid he did something wrong, but she looks so happy.

“Yes,” she says. “We can.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! Thought I'd take a moment to explain the title for anyone who's curious--the word "liminal" refers to a threshold between two states of being, as in a coming-of-age ritual. For the six or so months that have elapsed between Cassian being placed with the Wallaces and the events of this fic, Cassian's been in a liminal state--his new life has started, but he doesn't really believe his old life is over. This is the story of how that ends.
> 
> I hope you liked this! If you did, I'd love it if you could let me know below!


End file.
